European Patent Application No. 0 374 422 describes a fuel distributor having a plurality of connectors into which the fuel injection valves of an internal combustion engine can be inserted, to be in turn supplied with fuel from a fuel distributor. The fuel distributor is made of plastic and has an almost circular, closed fuel channel. The connectors communicate with the fuel channel through an opening in the fuel channel. The fuel distributor, which is mostly rigid, engages in attachment clamps that are provided on the fuel injection valves and permit an axial mounting of the fuel injection valves. Parallel to the fuel channel runs a guide channel which is integrated into the fuel distributor and accommodates a plurality of electric conductors. For electric contacting of the fuel injection valves, a plug connector element provided on the electric conductors engages in a connector provided in the injection valves. The guide channel is provided with a holding receptacle to encompass a mounting section of a connecting part which is attached to the fuel injection valve and on which the connector is provided. This design is complicated and expensive because the connector must be mounted separately on an additional connecting part positioned externally. Furthermore, an additional closing plate which can be rotated using a complicated hinge must be mounted on the guide channel between the individual fuel injection valves.
In addition, German Patent Application no. 30 10 613 describes a fuel injection system for internal combustion engines, including a plurality of electromagnetically operated fuel injection valves and a rigid fuel line, with the fuel line having valve receptacles into which the fuel injection valves can be sealingly inserted. The fuel line is formed by a fuel distributor line with a fuel return line above it. The individual fuel injection valves are each contacted by means of an electric plug connector, thus necessitating additional contacting lines or connector elements and gaskets. Furthermore, it is possible to provide an electric plug on the fuel line in the area of each valve receptacle by means of which the electric connection with the electric plug connector of the fuel injection valve can be established at the same time when the fuel injection valve is inserted into the valve receptacle. This design is also complicated and expensive because a plurality of specially designed plug parts must project out of the fuel line in the direction of the plug connectors.
Another fuel distributor is described in European Patent Application no. This fuel distributor includes a fuel supply channel and valve receptacles which are connected to the fuel supply channel and into which the fuel injection valves can be sealingly inserted. Electric contacting is accomplished by means of plug connector elements which can be snapped onto the side of the housing of the fuel injection valves and are connected by contact lines to electric connecting cables running parallel to the fuel supply channel. The electric connecting cables are arranged inside a contact strip which can be snapped onto the fuel distributor by a catch connection. This design is also relatively complicated and expensive because the contact strip must be manufactured separately from the fuel distributor, and the electric connecting cables must be inserted into the contact strip in an additional manufacturing step.
All of the conventional designs described above are similar in that in mounting the fuel injection valves on the fuel distributor, another assembly step is necessary to establish electric contact in addition to the insertion of the fuel injection valves into the valve receptacles. This is a disadvantage e.g., in automated mass production in particular.